Small wordsHow long in Thai
“How long” in Thai is นานเท่าไหร่naan tâo-rài; you'll also hear กี่gìi (how many (hours, days)).
how long? (how much time) question word
- naan mid
- tâo falling
- rài low
- Falling: start high and drop clearly, like a firm “No!”
- Low: flat and lower than your normal voice, dropping a little at the end.
how many (+ counting word) question word how many (hours, days)
- gìi low
- Low: flat and lower than your normal voice, dropping a little at the end.
Always followed by a counting word or unit: กี่ลูกgìi lûuk how many (fruit), กี่บาทgìi bàat how many baht.
กี่gìi is taught in Unit 9 · Lesson 2: How many? of the free course.
Practise it freeHow to use it
นานเท่าไหร่naan tâo-rài is "how long?", literally "long how much". Most of the time Thais ask more simply: นานไหมnaan mǎi, is it long?, or count the units with กี่gìi: กี่ชั่วโมงgìi chûa-moong, how many hours? กี่วันgìi wan, how many days? For a trip, ใช้เวลาchái wee-laa, "use time", says how long it takes: ใช้เวลากี่ชั่วโมงchái wee-laa gìi chûa-moong, how many hours does it take?
Other spellings you'll see
There's no single official way to write Thai in English letters. We mark the tone of every syllable; online you'll also find:
- nan tao rai
- naan thao rai
- nan tow rai
More small words in Thai
All small words
Learn this word in Unit 9, free
Unit 9 · At the market · How many? Short lessons with audio for every word, speaking practice and spaced review. No sign-up needed.
Written by the Learn Thai For Free team
Audio: AI voices, quality-checked for tones